Shell said that DLC fluids can improve power usage effectiveness by up to 27%, in comparison with the power usage effectiveness of air-cooling
In sum – what you need to know:
Shell expands into direct cooling — The company unveiled Shell DLC Fluid S3, a direct liquid cooling (DLC) solution to handle heat from high-performance computing and AI workloads.
Efficiency and longevity combined — Shell claims up to 27% improvement in power usage effectiveness (PUE), with corrosion protection and over six years of expected fluid service life.
Designed for modern systems — The glycol-based fluid is compatible with key server materials and meets OCP guidelines, supporting CPUs and GPUs in dense, next-gen computing environments.
Shell has launched Shell DLC Fluid S3, its new direct liquid cooling (DLC) solution designed to meet the demands of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
The oil company noted that this propylene glycol-based fluid complements its existing immersion cooling fluid portfolio.
As data centers grow more powerful, traditional air-cooling struggles to keep up with the increasing heat generated by high-performance computing and AI, Shell said, adding that DLC fluids tackle the heat head-on, targeting high heat load components to ensure densely packed server racks can continue to operate at optimal temperatures.
By directly cooling high-performance components like central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), DLC fluids can improve power usage Efectiveness (PUE) by up to 27%, in comparison with the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of air-cooling, Shell added.
Shell DLC Fluid S3 offers long-term corrosion protection across a broad range of materials commonly found in server environments, including aluminum, brass, cast iron, steel, solder and copper. Its formulation provides enhanced protection for aluminum and its alloys, ensuring durability in modern high-performance computing systems.
The oil firm also explained that the fluid is compatible with a wide array of materials, including metals, elastomers and plastics, aligning with OCP (Open Compute Project) guidelines.
Shell DLC Fluid S3 has an expected service life of over six years—significantly longer than typical inorganic acid technology (IAT) coolants. Additional features include freeze protection down to –10°C (14°F) and a bright fluorescent green dye for easy leak detection.
Aysun Akik, VP of new business development and global key accounts at Shell Lubricants, said: “With Shell DLC Fluid S3, Shell now offers both direct-to-chip and full immersion cooling solutions, and we’re not just keeping data centers cool in the age of AI — we’re powering the future of digital infrastructure.”
Akik added: “Our growing range of advanced liquid cooling solutions is designed to meet the diverse needs of modern data centers both today, and tomorrow – and are backed by the strength of Shell’s global footprint, supply chain and five technology development hubs around the globe.”
Direct liquid cooling (DLC) is an advanced liquid cooling technology that delivers fluid to a cold plate placed on high-performance components like CPUs and GPUs, allowing it to pass directly by the heat source. This makes the extraction of heat more efficient than conventional air cooling, according to Shell.
Other relevant announcement in the liquid cooling field had been made this week. LiquidStack, a provider of advanced liquid cooling solutions for data centers, unveiled its new GigaModular coolant distribution unit (CDU).
The firm noted that the new modular and scalable CDU platform, which is capable of delivering up to 10 MW of cooling, uses a pay-as-you-grow design, ideal for high-density environments powered by AI and cloud workloads.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, local telco LG Uplus announced the launch of a next-generation liquid cooling demonstration room at its Pyeongchon 2 Internet Data Center (IDC) in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The move is part of its broader strategy to validate sustainable cooling technologies for AI data centers (AIDC).
The demo room showcases advanced cooling systems designed for high-heat, high-density AI server environments.
